Defensive backfield epitomizes Pack’s season of change

Cornerbacks coach Ricky Thomas joined coach Brian Polian’s staff in mid-February, about a month after Polian was hired as Nevada’s football coach and a few weeks after Polian hired the bulk of his staff.

Had Polian told him his intentions before offering him the job, maybe Thomas would have thought twice about accepting the offer.

All kidding aside, Thomas was fine with the notion of moving both projected starting cornerbacks to safety.

“We’re here to win football games,” said Thomas, a former safety at Alabama who coached 15 seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006-07. “Those guys can certainly help us at those (safety) spots. We’re just trying to put the best people out there on the field.”

If change is the buzzword of Wolf Pack football this season — new coach, new staff, new defense (Tampa 2 base) — then no position epitomizes that more than defensive backs.

Junior Charles Garrett, who last week returned from a suspension, and sophomore Bryson Keeton, cornerbacks in 2012, are at safety now. And senior Markus Smith and junior Evan Favors have the inside track to start at cornerback.

And it remains to be seen how Bryan Lane Jr., will be used. The 6-foot-4 sophomore started camp at linebacker and is now cross-training at safety, where he played last year. He will most likely start at linebacker now that Garrett has been reinstated.

There are also a handful of talented freshmen and redshirt freshmen who could move into starting roles and will surely see playing time, most notably at cornerback with redshirt freshman Randy Uzoma and true freshmen Teré Calloway and Elijah Mitchell.

The future certainly looks bright among the secondary. It’s the early part of the season, especially, that has so much unknown.

“We’ll be ready to go,” Thomas said. “I like their competitive nature. They’ve got to compete and they’ve got to have a short memory. Teams are going to catch some balls. You’ve got to have resiliency.

“When you look at this group, they haven’t played (a lot of) college football. That’s a fact. It is what it is. And we’re going to get tested early and often. I feel good about where we’re at.”

There is some starting experience, even though three of the four starters from a year ago have extinguished their eligibility.

Garrett started six games at safety as a freshman in 2011 (he started 10 games at corner in 2012). Smith started two games last season and got significant playing time. And Favors and Keeton each started one game at cornerback.

Keeton also has experience at safety from his high school days.

“The game moves a little faster at cornerback,” Keeton said. “But safety is no freebie. You’ve got to know a lot more of the defense. You’ve got to know a lot more of everybody else’s job on top of your own. It’s more like a quarterback in the back end. …

“I have all the confidence in the world in the guys that are back there in the secondary, not just the starters but the guys behind the starters and the guys behind them.”

The new defense, the Tampa 2, is a zone defense, but Thomas said they will play man defense when the situation calls for it.

“Whatever gives us the best chance to win,” he said. “It just depends on how we match up week to week with our opponents.”

2012: The only returning starter in the defensive backfield is Garrett, a cornerback in 2012 who returns to safety, where he started six games in 2011. Despite having two players who got drafted by NFL teams in April (CB Khalid Wooten and SS Duke Williams) the Pack allowed the second-most TD passes (27) in the Mountain West and had the fewest interceptions (six).

Strengths: The unit is athletic and fast, and some of the younger reserve players have bright futures and could earn starting roles this season. Smith (two starts), Favors (one) and Keeton (one) have some starting experience. Lane, who is cross-training at linebacker and safety, also had one start at safety in 2012.

Weaknesses: This is a largely unproven group that has to mature quickly. Garrett is the de facto leader, having been a two-year starter, but he is coming off a suspension which is not what you want from your leader.

Quote: “When you look at this group, they haven’t played (a lot of) college football. That’s a fact. It is what it is. And we’re going to get tested early and often. I feel good about where we’re at.” — cornerbacks coach Ricky Thomas

About this blog

Longtime RGJ Media reporter Dan Hinxman is the authority on Wolf Pack athletics, bringing you the day-to-day coverage of Nevada’s sports teams. Dan has covered almost everything the Northern Nevada sports scene has to offer and will use his knowledge to bring you authoritative and engaging Wolf Pack content. Follow him on Twitter at @DanHinxmanRGJ.